Often times people fly all over the world in search of beauty and exciting adventure when one of the best places is in their own back yard. That was the case for us with The Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botanical Gardens.

Spaceman had received passes to The Huntington (what locals call it) as a birthday gift almost a year ago but we kept putting off going, in part, because it is so easily accessible to us.  We figured it would always be there and surely some of our other opportunities would not. When we finally went, we realized how ridiculous that thinking was. This place is stunning and it is so very guest friendly. You can:

• Run around the gardens or find a quiet bench for a lovers’ snuggle (Spaceman and I crashed a couple in such a place as we were looking for a bench dedicated to a friend. It sort of killed their mood when we asked, “Excuse me — but would you mind if we looked at the name plate behind you? We want to see if this is the bench dedicated to my husband’s dead friend.” Go figure!).
• Have lunch at the new cafe where everything is made fresh, or fancy things up with high tea in the Tea Room (very popular so reservations are recommended), or go for an authentic Chinese meal in the tearoom and tea shop in the Chinese Garden (this is their newest garden section and will be expanding soon to offer a stargazing pavilion, work has already started — yay!).
• Explore their extensive art collection. They are known for the painting, Blue Boy. The artist,Thomas Gainsborough, was quite skilled at painting but his imagination when it came to titles was deeply lacking.
• Attend one of the scholarly lectures offered or enroll in a short seminar taught by an expert in a specific subject.

Whatever way you choose to spend your time here, you will be happy you visited. Here are some of the sights you can expect to see…

                                                            Cactus Garden

                                                         Local Sun Bather

                                                                       Yoda

                                                             Japanese Garden

                       Rose Garden (roses weren’t blooming yet but this tree was!)

                                Chinese Garden (their newest garden addition)